Figure toy



M. I. DUFF.

FIGURE TOY.

APPLICATION FILED. NOV. 29, I920- MICHAEL JOHN DUFF, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

FIGURE TOY.

Application filed. November 29, 1920.

ferent views or pictures, which, when said toy is rotated, will appear to blend with each other to produce an illusion of movement.

With the above and other objects in view, the construction, arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improved and attractive toy will now be fully described and will hereinafter be specifically claimed. In the accompanying drawing tornnng a part of this specification,

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are, respectively, elevational views of a figure toy made in accordance with the principles of the invention,

disclosing three different pictures of a hu-' man being that may be successively arranged thereon to produce, when said toy is rotated, three separate acts of a complete performance;

Fig. 4; is a top plan view on a reduced scale;

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views, on reduced scales, of a pair of strips of material that may constitute the body portion of the figure toy; and

' Fig. 7 is an elevational view corresponding with Fig. 1 or Fig. 3, but showing a figare toy having arranged thereon a series of different pictures of an animal. 4

The toy of the invention consists of but three inexpensive, simply constructed parts, the body portion thereof comprising a pair of similar, flat strips of any suitable material having the desired outline to'produce a figure toy of any preferred configuration, such as those designated by numerals 1'1 and 12 in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively, whichare arranged at right angles wit-h respect to each other and are so associated that their longitudinal centers are in engagement and their tops and bottoms, respectively, are flush with each other, and the base portion thereof con sisting of a disc or other support, designated by numeral 13 in all of the figures of the drawing, to which the lower ends of both strips are glued or otherwise secured.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 427,124.

The association oi the strips of material constituting the body portion may be effected in any ordinary or preferred manner. As shown v ry clearly in Figs. 5 and 6, I desirably furnish each strip with a longitudinal, centrally arranged slit 14c to accomplish this end, one of said strips being slitted at its top and the other at its bottom, and each o'l" said slits preferably extending to about the inidlength of its strip. It will be apparent that the slitted ends of the strips may be moved into each other until the tops and bottoms, respectively, oil the strips of material are flush with each other. After the strips have been associated as described, they are arranged at right angles to each other and their lower ends are glued or otherwise secured to disc or support 13. i5 denotes lugs extending from the bottoms of said strips and adapted to enter holes in said disc or support to insure the right-angular positions of said strips. The lugs are prel erably held in their holes by means of several drops of glue, and l preferably apply :1 drop of glue at the point of intersection of the top edges oi the strips to insure the rigl'it-angular positions of said top edges. as will be understood.

It will be obvious that a body portion constructed in the manner shown and herein before described will. consist of tour wings, designated by numeral 16 in Fig. l, all extending from an axis that is the line of intersection of the strips comprising the body portion, denoted by numeral 17 in Figs. 2 and 4, and each a continuation of the one opposite it and perpendicular to the other two wings. It will further be obvious that each wing has two :iaces extending the full length of the body portion, so that all of said wings provide eight ol such faces, designated in Fig. el: by reference characters A, B, (l, I), E, F. G- and H, respectively.

in use, the figure toy is adapted to rest upon its base and to be given rotation upon the longitudinal axis of its body portion or upon an axis parallel with said longitudinal axis in any desired manner. As disclosed in Fig. l, I preferably provide disc or support 13 with an opening 18 arranged closely adjacent the line of intersection oi the strips oi the body portion and capable of receiving a stationary pin (not shown) about which the disc or support carrying the body portion is adapted to rotate. Specifically, opening 18 may receive the center pin of the turntable of a phonograph or like instrument, with the lower face of the disc or support resting squarely upon the turntable or upon a record lying thereon and arranged upon the center pin.

Each face A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H has thereon in the finished article, one longitudinal half of a complete view or picture, and this result is accomplished by painting, printing, or otherwise fixing upon each side of both; strips of material, preferably while yetvdisassembled, a complete view or picture and so arranging said views or pictures. onthe strips that the line of intersectionof. said strips when assembled to produce thelbody portionwill pass longitudinally and approximately centrally through all four of said views or pictures. It will be evident that, the visible sides of the strips disclosed in Figs, 5 and 6 will account for two complete views or pictures, while the sides of said strips not shown will make provision for the other two. The four completeviews mentioned are each different and preferably disclose the same object or objectsin difi'erent positions, and the different positions are desirably those which, when the toy. is rotated in the manner hereinbefore set forth, will cause each longitudinal halfview, orhalf-picture of. the eight faces vof thexbody portion to cooperate at different times'with two others of said half-views or halfpictures, as will hereinafter be specifically and fully explained, to present by a single rotation of the toy, eight complete and different views or pictures that appear toblend with each other to produce an illussion of movement.

Itiwill be apparent that as the toy rotates, about the longitudinal axis of its body portion or about an axis parallel therewith, as suggested in Fig. 4, the half-views or halfpicturesv arranged upon the eight individual faces will'be successively presented to the vision of an observer stationed at any posi tion about the body portion, and that four of. said half-views or half-pictures, viz, those arranged-upon faces A, D, F and H,

willv present themselves upon one side of.

said longitudinal axis, while four others, viz, those arranged upon faces B, C, E and Gr, will present themselves upon the opposite side thereof.

Suppose now the observer is stationed at about the position indicated by numeral 1 in Fig. sand that the toy is rotating in the direction of the arrow in said figure so that the half-view or half-picture arranged upon face A has just become visible. The half view or half-picture upon face B will also at this time be visible, the wings carrying facesA and B being continuations of each other andthe wing nearest the observer being perpendicular to the wings carrying faces A and B, and, consequently, presenting no obstacle to the observers vision. A complete view or picture comprising the half-views or half-pictures of faces A and B will be seen. See Fig. 1. When then the toy has rotated until its relative position with respect to the observer is about. that suggested by numeral 2 in Fig. l, the halfview 01*,.l1;lllf,-Pl(;l3lll6 arranged upon face B has passed from view, while that upon face C has become visible, so that the half-views or half-pictures of faces A and C constitute the second complete view or picture. See Fig. 2. As the toy rotates still farther, the halfview or half-picture upon face D becomes visible and that upon face A passes from view, the third complete view or picture comprising the half-views or half-pictures D and G. Inlike manner and as rotation continues, the half-views or half-pictures of faces DE, FE, FG, GH and EH comprise the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth views or pictures, respectively.

It will of course be understood that i use the novel figure toy is rotated at a speed adapted to present each completeview or. picture to vision for but an instant, so that said views or pictures appear to blend with each other and as a result produce an illusion of movement which, with each complete rotation of the toy, amounts to a complete performance.

When the axis of rotation of the figure toy is the longitudinal axis of. its body portion, said body portion will rotate in even manner. An axis as suggested in Fig. 4 will rotate said body portion and will additionally provide it with an eccentrical movement, as will be obvious.

What I desire to claim is:

1. An article of manufacture, comprising intersecting members set at angular positions with respect to each other to provide faces, each of said faces having thereon a part of a whole picture, and said article adapted to be rotated, whereby said part pictures will appear to blend with each other and produce an illusion of movement.

2. An article of manufacture, comprising intersecting members each having a fragment or part of a picture thereon, said members set at angular positions with respect to each other and said article adapted to be rotated so that said part pictures will combine wit-h each other to provide whole pictures appearing to blend with each other, whereby. an illusion of movement will be produced.

3. An article of manufacture, comprising intersecting members set at approximate right-angles to each other to provide four wings each having two faces, each of said faces having thereon one longitudinal half of a complete picture, and said article adapted to be rotated, whereby each of said faces will cooperate at different times with one of two others of said faces to successively present to view eight complete and dilferent pictures that appear to blend with each other and thus produce an illusion of movement.

4. A figure toy including a body portion consisting of intersecting members set at angular positions with respect to each other to provide wings, and a support for said body portion, said wings having half pictures thereon, said figure toy adapted to be rotated, and said half pictures being arranged relatively to each other so that they will appear to blend to produce an illusion of movement when said figure toy is rotated.

5. A figure toy including a body portion consisting of a pair of strips intersecting each other at approximate right-angles to provide four wings each having two faces, each of said faces having thereon one longitudinal half of a complete picture, and said figure toy adapted to be rotated, whereby each of said faces may cooperate at different times with one of two others of said faces to successively present to view eight complete and different pictures that appear to blend with each other and thus produce an illusion of movement.

6. A figure toy comprising a body portion consisting of a pair of flat strips intersecting rotated.

7 A figure toy comprising a body portion consisting of a pair of similar, flat strips intersecting each other at right-angles to provide four wings each having two faces, a support for said body portion and provided with means permitting the figure toy to be rotated, and a half picture arranged upon each of said faces and each adapted, when said toy is rotating, to at different times cooperate with one of two others of said half pictures, whereby eight complete and difierent pictures that appear to blend with each other may be successively presented to View during one complete rotation of said toy.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, this 27th day of November, A. D., 1920.

MICHAEL JOHN DUFF. 

